Anonymous  +  447073 Tue, 27 Nov 07 07:20 PM Hi, 'In a word, it is unwise of you to spend money like mad.' Could we use the following idioms instead of 'in a word' here without changing the meaning? <in a nutshell> <to sum up> <in sum> <in conclusion> Thank you very much Anonymous Idioms

	Grammar Geek  +  447081 Tue, 27 Nov 07 07:36 PM "In conclusion" and "To sum up" comes after you've said a bunch of other stuff. "In a word" and "In a nutshell" are the most interchangable. Grammar Geek Joined on Tue, Jan 10 2006 Veteran Member 19,683 Barbara, who answers in American English. My housekeeping skills attest to the truth of the second law of thermodynamics: Left to themselves, things get more and more random! Idioms

	Grammar Geek  +  447522 Wed, 28 Nov 07 07:22 PM Do you mean 'to sum up' and 'in conclusion' are used in situations such as a piece of writing or a speech, etc., and they are interchangeable To my mind, yes, they are. Although perhaps "to sum up" is a little less formal. and 'in a word' and 'in a nutshell' are used in situations such as a short and clear answer, explanation or statement in conversation, etc.? Yes. "What did you think of the movie?" "In a word: dreadful!" "In a nutshell, it was three hours of my life I will never get back." Realize that "in a nutshell" is rather slang-like and informal.  In what situations could we use 'in sum'? Perhaps in either of the two situations above. It's the least useful one of these, I think. Or maybe: "What did you think of the movie?" "It was poorly written, poorly acted, boring, and gross at the same time. In sum, I hated it." Grammar Geek Idioms, Conversations

	Grammar Geek  +  447532 Wed, 28 Nov 07 07:52 PM Imagine you spent three hours in a movie theater. Imagine that the movie was terrible - just terrible. Would you feel it was a good use of three hours of your life? But unfortunately, you can't get them back. Grammar Geek Idioms